Heichou
by MikiMagic
Summary: Following Petra and her letters to home regarding her adventures and her feelings for Levi. We also get to see what Levi's squad does during down time. :)
1. Chapter 1

"Mmm…"

A beam of sunlight shone through the large windows of one of the castle's many rooms. It shimmered upon the strawberry blonde hair of the young solider, who was slowly raising her head from the table she was working from. She sat up, partially slumped over her workspace, still a bit dazed due to her short little nap she just had. Her tired honey colored eyes squinted at the sudden light emitting into the room, before they completely shot open in horror.

"Nyah!" she let out a small yelp, while frantically jumping up from the table.

What time was it? What time was it?!

It had to be somewhere near the late afternoon…meaning she had definitely fallen asleep around…

She glanced at the wall clock that sat slowly ticking away on the wall.

"Two hours ago?!" she frantically gathered up all of the papers that were sprawled all over the table. She had been asleep for two hours? She should have gotten these papers to Heichou two hours ago…and here she was sleeping the day away? She quickly sorted the papers, trying to make sure the ones Heichou needed to sign were on the top.

The small girl groaned aloud. It was so late in the afternoon and she was going to bother Levi _now_? When the work day was nearly over? She was supposed to be helpful to him, not a burden. She wrinkled her brow and turned on her heel quickly, heading towards the hall. Now was not the time to be sulking; she had to finish her work for the day, and swiftly.

With her thoughts overflowing and her head still drowsy, she hurried around the corner a little too quickly.

SMACK!

"Eeep!"

Papers flew all over the place, fluttering to the floor. The young girl would have fallen to the floor as well if it wasn't for the two strong hands that grabbed her by the forearms. A distressed look crossed her face as she saw the papers cover the floor around her; how could she be so clumsy? Talk about being off her game today…

"Whoa. You alright there Petra?"

The girl's heart stopped for a second…ten seconds…a thousand seconds. She was so distracted by all of her screw ups today that she didn't even see who she ran into. She lifted her head, and there he was. His face was only a couple of inches from hers, with their eyes pretty much on the same level, more or less. He was slightly taller than her, but only slightly.

She just _had_ to have clumsily run into him, of all people.

"Hello?" he raised one of his ever distinctive eyebrows as he slowly took his grip off of her arms.

"H-HEICHOU! SIR!" she stood up straight and gave a quick salute.

Levi only blinked. "As you were. Is everything alright?"

"Of course! Why would you think that, Heichou?"

"Well…" Levi looked around at all of the papers scattered on the floor.

A brief look of panic crossed the girl's face before she quickly covered it up. She dropped to her knees and swiftly began to gather up the paperwork.

"I'm sorry…I wasn't paying attention."

Levi only kneelt down beside her and began to help Petra pick up the papers.

"Don't worry about it."

"Heichou! You don't need to get on the floor; I've got this, really!"

"These ones still need my signature, correct?" Levi held up a few sheets of paper, disregarding Petra's last comment.

"Oh, yes sir…and these as well…" Petra finished gathering up the loose paperwork, separating the documents as needed.

"You looked a little dazed back there."

"I've just been…well I've just a little tired today…"

"Overworked?"

"Oh! Oh of course not Heichou!" she quickly looked up at him to see that he was once again looking directly at her.

Levi pretty much held the same expression, without wavering. In fact, it was extremely rare that his expression ever changed at all…at least Petra has never seen it change. The sternness in his face made him a bit more intimidating, despite his short stature, but she knew better. He may not have shown it in his face, but his actions showed that he cared very much for his squad. Still, she never wanted to be a burden to her commanding officer in any way. She was supposed to be there for him; to be by his side whenever he needed.

To make things easier for him, not more difficult…

She did not in any way want to be difficult, even in the smallest of ways, like dropping papers and being sleepy on the job.

And it was right at that moment, when she was consumed by her thoughts, she felt the warmth from the back of his hand gently press against her forehead. For a moment, she sat still, not really knowing how to respond to him touching her like this. She looked up at him again, his expression still unchanging, as his hand slowly moved over to her temple.

Her heart rate began to speed up again.

What was he doing?

Was she blushing?

She hoped she wasn't blushing….

Shit, shit, SHIT, she hoped she wasn't blushing.

"…Heichou?" Petra managed to squeeze that one familiar word out of her mouth without sounding like a total idiot.

"Hm." Levi removed his hand from her head. "You feel alright to me."

"I'm…sorry?" Petra looked at him with a small twinge of confusion in her face.

"Some sources tell me you aren't getting enough sleep."

Now she really felt her face go hot…certainly she was blushing now. And sources? Who in the world…

Suddenly that shit eating grin of her tongue biting comrade appeared in her head.

"_Dammit Auruo!" _ Petra thought, somewhat enraged and thinking of ways that guy was really going to get it later…

"You know, you can overexert yourself when you don't get enough rest. This could lead to fatigue and even catching a fever, not to mention falling asleep on the job. But you should already know this, right soldier?"

"I...I apologize sir! I've just been so busy lately, what with the current assignment and all."

Levi got to his feet and offered his hand to the girl.

"Don't let it happen again."

"Mm!" Petra straightened up. "Yes sir!"

She took Levi's hand and he pulled her up from the floor.

"Now, those documents?"

"Oh, yes..." She handed him the rest of the papers and he began to silently thumb through them.

Petra noticed it was unusually quiet around the castle this hour…where was everybody anyway?

"Anything else, Heichou?"

"Huh?" Levi looked back up at her, as if forgetting that she was still standing there. "Oh, no you are dismissed for the evening. The rest of the squad went into town if you're wondering."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I guess they wanted to have some 'real' food tonight. Fucking brats."

"Eren is with them too?"

"For the time being, yes."

"You aren't worried Heichou?"

"Worried? What, that he'll transform? Well, I suppose there's a chance right?"

Petra only blinked.

"Well I have some business to tend to in town myself, so if you all could babysit the brat for about an hour that would really lessen the headache I already have."

Heichou and his sarcasm….

"Right! Of course!"

"Alright then. Let's head out."

Petra nodded, following the Corporal down the hallway.

Petra mounted her horse and looked out at the sky, now a deep orange from the sunset. It was quite beautiful actually. She looked over at Levi, who looked very handsome and somewhat majestic atop his steed. She nodded to him and they both took off down the path. Petra followed closely behind Levi, watching his back, with the Wings of Freedom on his cloak fluttering in the wind. Heichou had a nice back, with strong shoulders; it only made him look nobler then he already was, if that made any sense.

Petra smiled warmly at him. If anything, he was definitely the person she admired the most.

_Hey Dad,_

_How's everyone? I'm doing well. It's been a busy week though! I'm getting a lot of experience in the Survey Corps. As I told you before, I really enjoy it. I honestly feel like I'm doing something for the good of humankind…and I'm so grateful to be working with the best of the best. Erd and Gunther are doing well. Auruo is…annoying as always…He has a very kind heart, but sometimes he really get's under my skin. Like today he did something that really made me want to beat his…well…anyway…_

_Oh dad! Levi Heichou is so amazing! I know I probably always talk about this, but well, it's been a real privilege being able to work under him. I've never known anyone quite like him before. At first I was really intimidated by him…and I was a bit surprised that he would pick me out of so many to be apart of his special operations squad. I know what you are about to say, I'm too modest, but I'm serious dad. _

_Heichou is actually very approachable, and despite his stern reputation and intimidating stature, I know he genuinely cares about his squad. He's so great, dad…and he's so cool. Like, really cool…do I sound weird for saying that? _

_Well anyway, duty calls. I'll write again soon. I love you!_

_Love,_

_Petra_

Petra looked up at the dingy looking building and frowned. The Rusty Spoon, huh?

"_So their idea of good food is at this dive?" _Petra thought. Part of her was starting to think that maybe they didn't come here for the food after all.

She entered though the doors only to be greeted by a cloud of cigarette smoke. She attempted to wave a little bit of the smoke from her face, but it really didn't matter. She looked around, trying to find to the others among the dimly lit bar. It was a small joint, with a few dining tables on one side, and two pool tables and a jukebox on the other side. In the middle is where the bar sat, and that's exactly where she spotted her comrades.

"PETRAAAA!" Auruo's loud and obnoxious voice filled the bar as Petra walked up to them. Erd and Gunther turned their heads, and sure enough, Eren was with them…though he was looking a bit miserable.

"Hey everyone." She took a seat at the bar next to Eren. "Hi Eren."

"Oh, hey Petra. Where's Levi Heichou?"

"He had to finish up a few errands. He said it shouldn't take longer than an hour."

"And what took you so long Pet?" Auruo was at her side, getting a little too up close and personal. "Working late again I see?"

"Ugh, you reek of alcohol! Isn't it a little too early to be getting drunk?"

"Hey, it's five o' clock somewhere!" Auruo raised his glass.

"It's five o' clock here." Erd shook his head and smiled, while taking a swig of his own drink.

"You too? Are you all drinking?" Petra sighed.

"Relax Petra, we're fine. Auruo's the one who needs a chaperone right now." Gunther reassured her.

"Come on Pet, loosen up. Have a drink! Or at least some cheese fries…" Auruo held up his hand to get the bar tender's attention.

"I told you not to call me Pet! And what the hell, Auruo? What did you say to Heichou about me earlier?"

"Huh?"

"Auruo!"

"Ohhh…..that. Eh, I just told him you weren't sleeping enough. Staying up late, getting up too early or whatever to do extra work. Why? Did he knock some sense into you?" Auruo giggled.

"You bastard! Embarrassing me like that! That was none of your business…"

"Take it easy Ral." Erd put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm pretty sure Levi doesn't think any less of you."

Petra's face immediately turned beat red. "What…What is that supposed to mean?"

"Bartender! A shot for the lady!" Auruo called out.

"Auruo! I don't want a shot…"

"Come on, you need to relax!"

Eren only groaned as he watched this madness unfold. Is this really what he was doing right now? Sitting with the most talented and prestigious squad in the Scouting Legion…at some dive bar? Watching his comrades get drunk? Really? Wasn't there something more important that they could be doing? And where was Levi anyway?

"What's that Eren? You want a shot too?" Auruo was suddenly sliding a small glass down the bar counter towards him.

"Uh!" Eren put his hand on the counter and managed to stop the glass, with a little bit of alcohol splashing out of the sides. "I don't really want…"

"Might as well. At least maybe if you are calmer you'll have a lesser chance of going titan." Erd said.

Erd, Gunther, and Auruo all looked at each other for a moment, before bursting out into drunken laughter.

Eren only blushed and looked down at the glass. Some alcohol had splashed onto the bite wound on his hand, stinging it a little. He looked up at the group and glared.

"That's not funny!" he slammed his fist onto the counter.

"Oh fuck, now you got him angry Erd." Auruo groaned. "Just take the shot, kid."

"I don't want to! This is stupid! What are we even doing here?"

"Just take the shot."

"No!"

"What? Little boy thinks he can fight titans but can't handle his liquor?"

"Auruo, I think that's enough…" Gunther spoke up.

Eren only scowled at Auruo, before picking up his shot glass and throwing the bitter whiskey down his throat. He slammed the glass down onto the counter as he flinched at the bitter taste. For a moment, he thought he was going the throw up as he doubled over.

"Whoa, you alright Eren?" Gunther put a hand on his shoulder. Eren only flinched and nodded.

"Tell me that wasn't your first shot? Well way to keep it down!" Auruo laughed.

Petra only rolled her eyes and took the shot glass to her lips.

It's been a long day anyway…

_Dear Dad,_

_How's mom doing? And the kids on the block? I'm doing well. Our new assignments have been quite…exciting. I can't really talk about them because of military secrecy reasons, but it's all very interesting to say the least. I did tell you about Eren Jaeger remember? He actually turned out to be very sweet, with very good intentions. In a way, his determination sort of reminds me of Levi Heichou….well, in a less concentrated way (haha). I haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately…not as much as I should anyway. I know you worry about me a lot, so I'm sorry about that. I just want to help Heichou in any way that I can…even if it's as small as making his coffee in the morning….do you think that's strange? I just admire him so much, dad. He's really amazing, and such a great leader…I hope I can work under him for a long time to come. I would pretty much do anything for the Corporal… oh, that must have sounded weird. You know what I mean though, right dad? Though sometimes when I am around Heichou I feel a little…nervous…but not in a bad way. Oh wow I can't believe I'm feeling embarrassed about this! But anyway, you don't have to worry. Heichou, Erd, Gunther, Auruo, and even Eren have all been wonderful to me. I couldn't ask for a better leader and comrades. Well I have to get going, I'll write you soon. Take care!_

_Love, _

_Petra_

"Well, I'm pretty sure that's all I needed to discuss with you, Levi." The tall brunette pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose with her index finger.

"Alright. It's getting late. I should be getting back to my squad."

"They are in town tonight aren't they?"

"The Rusty Spoon." Levi rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't eat that shitty food if it was the last bit of food on earth, in all honesty."

Hange smiled and shook her head.

"Ah, The Rusty Spoon. That place is quite a dive, but I'm pretty sure people just go there for the drinks. They make em' hard there!"

"You don't say." Levi looked unenthused as he threw his cloak over his shoulder.

"Uh-oh! Is Levi's squad going to be all intoxicated when he shows up to retrieve them? Hopefully that doesn't trigger Titan Eren! Well wait…!" Hange slapped Levi on the back and began to laugh hysterically.

"Shut up, shitty glasses." Levi sighed and rubbed his temple, clearly annoyed.

"Auruo, I think he's had enough." Gunther said. "Eren, that's enough. Drink some water."

"But I'm finnnne." Eren lifted his head from the counter, his area surrounded by empty glasses.

"No. Water. Now. You've had enough."

"No, _you've_ had enough!" Eren slurred and poked at Gunther's chest.

"I know I've had enough. Which is why I quit for the night."

Eren only blinked at Gunther and looked around the smoky bar. His vision was off…blurry even. How did this happen? He only had a few drinks…

"Ung…." Eren laid his head back onto the bar counter. "I can't believe this…Mikasa will kill me…."

Gunther and Erd only looked at each other and shrugged.

"I knew he couldn't handle his liquor!" Auruo laughed.

"You shouldn't have egged him on like that." Petra made a face at him.

"Hey, it's not my fault he got drunk so quickly!"

"Oh it is your fault. Everything is…_your_ fault." She slightly slurred the last part of her sentence.

Auruo, Erd, and Gunther just looked at her for a moment, before all three of them smiled.

"You're drunk, aren't you Petra?" Auruo grinned.

"Shut up! You're more…drunk then I am! And I'm not drunk…I'm buzzed…"

"Keep telling yourself that." Erd only shook his head and smiled.

"I only had a few…not as much as Eren over here." She shook her head.

What time was it anyway? It had to have been over an hour by now. Where was Heichou?

"Well maybe you'll actually get some sleep tonight." Auruo grinned. "Did the Corporal scold you enough?"

"Auruo I swear! Don't you ever tell on me to Heichou again!"

"Why? Are you embarrassed?"

"Mm! No! I just…" Petra quickly turned her head away, staring at her lap. Good thing it was dimly lit in this dump or the guys would have surely seen her flushed face and would have never let her live it down.

Auruo slumped into a bar stool next to her and inched towards her, while putting his arm around her shoulder.

"Auruo!"

"Come on, like Erd said earlier, The Corporal probably doesn't think any less of you. You are his favorite little brat right?"

"W-what?"

"I'm just messin' with ya', Petra!" Auruo started laughing aloud, while giving Petra a slap on the back.

Erd only sat by and watched, getting a real kick out of this whole thing before speaking up.

"But if he did have a favorite, I think it's safe to say that little Petra here would be it." He grinned.

"What? Andwhat do you mean 'little', Erd?" Petra turned to the guys, her flushed cheeks now clearly visible, even in the dim lighting.

"Aw look at her! She's blushing!" Auruo cooed.

"Agh!" Petra turned her face away, now more embarrassed than ever.

"She probably wants to marry him huh?" Auruo laughed. He clasped his hands together, making his face go into a dreamy eyed look, whist attempting to imitate the poor girl.

"Ohhh Heichou! Heichouuuuu!"

"Oh shut up!" Petra turned to Auruo and grabbed him by the collar, only causing him to laugh even more. "If anything YOU are the one who wants to marry Heichou! Imitating his looks and trying to act all cool when you are really just an ANNOYING STUPID JERKKKK! WITH AN UGLY HAIRCUT."

Auruo's expression immediately changed to pure embarrassment, his cheeks flushing now as well.

"W-what? I don't want to marry the Corporal! And I'm not stupid!" He got up close to Petra's face, just inches away. "And for your information my haircut RULES!"

Petra also got up close and personal, before giving Auruo an icy cold stare.

"IT'S UGLY. HEICHOU'S LOOKS BETTER."

"WHAT?!"

"That was cold." Erd face palmed, trying not to laugh. Gunther only shook his head and smiled, highly amused at his drunken comrades.

"Of course you like his hair better! You probably dream about touching it every night!"

"YOU!" Petra was seriously considering break a beer bottle over loud mouth's head at this point.

"Oh, go marry your Heichou if you love his hair so much!"

"Well CLEARLY you love it more if you keep trying to copy it, so YOU go marry him!"

"Who wants to marry me?"

The arguing between Auruo and Petra immediately stopped, and the whole squad turned towards the familiar voice.

Levi was standing before them, his arms crossed and his eyebrow raised at all the commotion he had walked into.

"So what's going on?" he looked over at Petra, who only blinked at him, trying hard not to blush. She really hoped he didn't hear that whole fiasco.

"What the fuck happened to him?" Levi was glancing over Petra's shoulder at Eren, who was still slumped over the bar counter.

Eren slowly lifted his head, half of it messy from laying his head on the counter for so long. He once again scanned the dingy bar, his vision more even more blurry then before, before he spotted Levi looking right at him. He blinked, before shooting a stupid looking smile Levi's way.

"Heyyy Heichou." He slurred, followed by a hiccup. "Have you seen Armin's hat? I think I saw it fly away earlier..."

Levi put a hand to his head and closed his eyes, looking as if a headache was coming on.

"Oh don't tell me you all are fucked up right now-"

"HEICHOUUUUU!" The whole squad, with the exception of Eren, leapt out of their seats and stumbled over to Levi, embracing him in a group hug.

"What the?! Get the fuck off! You all smell like fucking scotch…"

"Come on Corporal, relax. Have a drink." Erd didn't really sound drunk; more like relaxed. But he clearly had too much to drink…everyone had. That's the only logical explanation Levi could come up with for this sudden massive bear hug that just caught him off guard.

On any other night he would have probably given a nice shove to each and every one of them, considering he didn't really like to be touched, much less hugged…and by four people at once. And this place was disgusting as hell; bottles everywhere, dust on the windows, grime on the seats….the whole place was making him slightly sick as it was.

But the commanding officer only closed his eyes and sighed. It truly had been a long week, and the brats have been doing well…not to mention that one drink probably wouldn't hurt...

"Fine." He sighed.

One drink, and only one; there was far too much to get done tomorrow. Levi walked up to the bar counter and signaled for the bartender.

"Ready to order?" the young brunette bartender smiled warmly at the attractive Corporal.

"Not quite. Do you have any disinfectant?"

The bartender only cocked her head at him, looking slightly confused. "Yes…just a second." She quickly reached under the counter and grabbed a large spray bottle.

"Would you like me to…?"

"Not necessary." He took the bottle from the girl and began frantically spraying the seat and the counter. He then pulled an extra handkerchief from his pocket and began scrubbing away vigorously. The bartender only stared at him for a moment, and then back at the group he was with. They didn't seem to mind at all…as if they were used to this…as if this was 'normal' behavior…

Petra only smiled to herself. She actually found Levi's little cleaning quirk quite adorable.

"By the way, this place is a dump. Maybe you should hire a janitor." Levi said ever so suddenly, catching the girl off guard.

"Okayyy…I'll speak to my boss about it…."

"Yeah that would be a good idea." Levi rolled his eyes.

"Heichou!" Petra nudged Levi, who turned to her, a little surprised. She of all people knew he hated to be touched. She had her lips puffed out in a pout, and was giving him a condescending look.

"Where are your manners?"

She was scolding him, and drunkenly at that. Levi only blinked, and then turned back to the now awkward feeling bartender.

"Well. I guess I have forgotten my manners." Levi placed the bottle of cleaner back onto the counter. "Thank you."

"You're…welcome?" she looked up at the officer, who only stared back at her with a blank expression. He may have been short in stature and literally just cleaned that bar stool better then a maid ever could, but he was more intimidating then most of the men who ever walked into that bar.

"What can I get you sir?"

"Gin and tonic, on the rocks." Levi sighed as he sat on the freshly sanitized barstool between Petra and Eren. Petra glanced over at Levi, still feeling the buzz, but was trying really hard not to say anything that would make her look foolish in front of him.

"Are you feeling well Heichou?" she asked.

Levi turned his head to the strawberry blonde, remembering her small, but forceful gesture minutes ago. He could tell she was getting a little dizzy from the booze, even though she tried to hide it.

"I will be once I have a drink."

Petra smiled sweetly at him as the bartender set a small glass in front of Levi.

"You should slow down a bit." He raised the glass to his lips. "You don't want to overdo it on your first time. You'll get sick fast…believe me."

Levi took a swig of his drink as Petra watched him, nearly horrified. As she watched his Adam's apple bob up and down in that beautiful neck of his, she wondered how in the world he could have known.

Was it that obvious?

The shot she took earlier with the rest of the guys was in fact her first taste of liquor; Eren wasn't the only one. Sure, she had partaken in alcohol before, but it was always just a little bit of wine or beer with the family. Until tonight, she had never truly had hard liquor. She just didn't want to embarrass herself in front of the guys, despite being on the same level as them. She had wanted to try some anyway, there was just never really much time to kick back…but still…how did Levi even know?

She looked down at her lap and blushed.

How embarrassing….


	2. Chapter 2

"Hahaaa! Alright! This is my songgg! Whooo!"

Erd, Gunther, and Auruo sat looking at the young girl while chuckling and talking amongst themselves. She was moving her hips and swinging her head around like an excited little child. Not too long ago a young man had rolled out an old piano from the back room and took his place at it. Petra had made a request for a certain jaunty tune and has been dancing around the pianist ever since. Levi already had his eyes on her, watching as she drunkenly danced around. She looked a god damned fool bouncing around like that, and in uniform too, but at least she wasn't causing any trouble.

"Ah! So this is the ever famous "Rusty Spoon" I've heard so much about?" a familiar voice came from the doorway. Levi averted his eyes from Petra and towards the door to see none other then Hanji making her way towards the bar. "Good evening squad Levi!" she turned to Levi and grinned.

"I'm surprised you're actually sitting in a place like this. Did you scrub the seat off?" she laughed.

Levi finished off his current drink and set the glass down.

"What do you want now, shitty glasses?"

Hanji only rolled her eyes behind her goggles and smiled. "I guess you could say I came to see what all of the fuss was about."

"Bullshit. You came to see Eren."

Hanji hunched forward, getting a bit too close to Levi. "HE'S HERE, RIGHT?" she said in a very excited, yet creepy manner.

"Yeah, he's here. A little blacked out though." Levi leaned back slightly, revealing a blacked out Eren, his head resting on the counter.

Hanji quickly went over to him and began poking at him. "Eren? Erennnn?"

She tried shaking him slightly, and even tried to sit him up at some point, but the boy only groaned and mumbled something under his breath before slumping over the bar counter again. Hanji frowned and turned back to Levi.

"Awww come on! How could you let him get like this, Levi?" she pouted.

"Pfft. It wasn't my fault. He was like that when I got here."

Hanji groaned once more before looking over at the rest of Levi's squad who were all, well, more 'jolly' then usual.

"So you're squad _was_ intoxicated when you showed up!" she began laughing aloud. "And look at Petra over there! I've never seen here so animated! Not like this anyway. Oh this is too funny."

"Well laugh it up. I'm pretty sure Eren won't be waking up any time soon." Levi took another drink.

"And how many have you had?"

"Does it matter?"

"Oh my, is Levi actually drinking tonight? I should have invited the whole Scouting Legion! Where's Erwin when you need him? Remember that one time at that Christmas Party two years ago? We had to carry him home! And it was _not_ easy!"

"That was a fucking nightmare." Levi put his hand to his forehead.

"Oh stop it. You had fun and you know it. But I know you too well, and I know you will never admit it."

"I only showed up to that stupid party because Erwin asked me to. That was it."

"You were so drunk that night." Hanji laughed. "But I see you're getting all agitated as usual, so I'll stop talking about it."

"Wise decision."

"…But it was SO FUNNY!" Hanji continued to babble on, as usual, as Petra bounced her way over to the bar counter again.

"Guys! This is so fun! Who's having fun?" she smiled big while trying to catch her breath.

Auruo, who was only sipping on water now, looked up at the pretty strawberry blonde and grinned.

"You are a real riot when you're drunk, you know that?"

Petra looked at Auruo for a minute, before leaning over and grabbing his face with her hands, pinching his cheeks mercilessly. "You better not be making fun of me."

"Nyah! Petra! Cut it out! God damn it, woman!" Auruo groaned through muffled words.

Gunther shook his head and turned to Erd. "You think she's had enough?"

"I think we've all had enough." Erd glanced at a wall clock hanging above the door. "Maybe it's time we head out anyway…Heichou?"

Levi turned towards his squad and sighed. "Go on if you want to. This one needs to sober up over here." He looked at Petra, who still pinching Auruo's face. "And this brat needs to wake up. Like hell I'm carrying him home."

Erd only blinked and was about to respond, when Levi turned back to his drink. Hanji then slid over to Erd, getting uncomfortably close as she usually did.

"It's fine. Go on ahead. I'll stay here and watch them."

"Them?" Erd raised an eyebrow.

"Well…" she quickly glanced behind her at Levi, and then back to Erd, before lowering her voice a bit. "Levi's getting a bit, well, buzzed. They all need to sober up a little first."

Petra and Auruo stopped their quarreling and looked up at Hanji.

"He's…what? How can you tell?" Auruo stood up and looked over Hanji's shoulder at Levi, who still sat silently with that same blank expression on his face.

"Eh, I've just known him long enough to tell. Don't worry about it! You guys go ahead!" she waved her hand at them, shooing them away.

"Well…okay. Thanks Hanji." Gunther nodded to her.

"Oh it's no problem at all." She smiled warmly.

As Gunther, Erd, and Auruo began to leave, Petra unconsciously began to follow, not hearing her commanding officer's previous comment beforehand. As she took a step, her arm was immediately grabbed by Hanji.

"Oh no no, not you missy!" Hanji pulled Petra back, causing her to stumble a bit. "I'm pretty sure you won't be able to ride your horse in your condition." She smiled.

"Oh…I…"

"Let's have a seat for now, shall we?" Hanji lead Petra back over to the bar counter. She stumbled a bit, having a little trouble walking at this point.

"I'm fine Hanji, really…" Petra started to protest before Hanji cut her off.

"Oh come on now. It's fine if you're a little smashed; don't be embarrassed! Here. Sit next to Levi." Hanji sat Petra down in her old seat next to Levi.

Petra looked quickly looked up at him, for a moment forgetting that he was even here at all. He was sitting silently with his elbow resting on the bar counter and his drink in his hand. He looked so debonair, even in the way he sat at a bar for a drink.

"I saw you having fun and dancing around over there. You really like to party huh?" Hanji laughed. "I bet your boyfriend thinks you're a real treat."

Petra immediately blushed and began fidgeting with her fingers. Levi glanced over at the girls, more specifically at Petra, with his glass raised to his face as usual.

"Oh, um…no…well, I mean…I don't have a boyfriend." Petra nervously pushed some of her hair behind her ear and smiled shyly.

"Oho! You hear that Levi? No boyfriend." She put her hands on Levi's shoulders, causing him to roll his eyes. "Maybe you should offer a dance to the single lady." She grinned.

"H-Hanji!" Petra stuttered, blushing madly.

"I don't fucking dance." Levi gave Hanji a nasty look. "Why don't you take your shitty glasses and go poke at Eren some more, yeah?"

Hanji only giggled and looked back at Petra, who was now completely mortified.

"You upset him…" Petra looked over Hanji's shoulder, concerned.

"Aha, don't worry about him. I just like to fuck with him, especially when he's been drinking. He can be a bit of a sour puss, and it's just fun to take advantage of it. He and I mean no harm towards each other." She smiled.

"Drinking? Heichou…?" Petra raised an eyebrow and looked at Levi again. Now that she looked closely at him, she did notice a slight change in his face…but it was so faint that one would really have to be paying attention for one thing. Not to mention you would really have to be familiar with Levi and his mannerisms to even be able to tell in the first place. His stance was definitely more relaxed then usual, and his eyes were a bit glazed over. His brow seemed a bit more relaxed as well, which was fun to see. Now that she thought about it, they have been here for quite a bit already, and when the rest of the squad was beginning to calm down and sip on water, Levi Heichou was still taking in gin and scotch. He was just more cool and collected about it…way more then the rest of them anyway. Petra smiled, admiring the Captain's smooth personality, even when it came to small things like drinking alcohol.

Suddenly she was snapped out of her thoughts by a pair of fingers snapping in her face.

"Eeep!"

"Dazed again?"

Petra immediately froze. Levi was unusually close to her, leaning forward in his seat with his hand in her face; his thumb and middle finger delicately lingering, as if he was about to snap his fingers yet again. Petra frantically looked around, wondering where Hanji went and why in the world she left her alone with Levi. She ended up spotting her behind Levi, once again poking and prodding at Eren, and doing annoying things like looking in his ears and sticking her finger up his nose. Good thing the poor boy was out cold…

"Petra? I asked you a question."

"Uh! What? I'm sorry Heichou!" Petra nearly yelped, causing a few other customers to look their way.

"You don't have to yell."

"I'm sorry!"

A few minutes later, the pianist was back on the piano and playing away. Hanji had stopped messing around with passed out Eren for the time being, and was now in a deep discussion/debate about the nature of Titans with a couple of random bar goers. The hour was getting later, and a new bartender had started his shift. The tall and handsome blonde bartender set two scotch glasses in front of Petra and Levi.

"Anything else I can get you tonight, folks?" he asked, though his piercing green eyes were now solely on Petra…but she didn't seem to notice.

"Oh no, I think we're good for now." Petra smiled warmly at the bartender, who only returned it with a handsome grin.

"Oh…unless…" Petra looked over at Levi. "Do you need anything else, Heichou?"

"No." Levi said bluntly before she could even finish asking.

Petra cocked her head at him. For some reason, if she wasn't mistaken, he had a pissed off look on his face. Levi took a swig of the bitter whiskey as Petra watched him, blurry eyed. She had never seen him drink before, and certainly not this much. There was a brief silence between the two of them, before Petra took another sip of her drink and spoke up.

"So…how are you liking this place?"

"It sucks."

"…Oh…"

"Well…the drinks aren't bad. I'll give them that."

Petra smiled.

"I hope you're pacing yourself. You're going to be fucked later otherwise."

"Don't worry about me! I'm fine Heichou! I don't feel a thing!"

"Huh." He cocked his head at her.

"I-I mean I feel fine! I didn't mean that I drank so much that I feel numb! That's…not what I…ah…forget it." She took another drink.

Levi only raised an eyebrow at her before pulling a small silver case from his jacket pocket. He snapped open the case and pulled out a cigarette. Petra watched him as he popped it into his mouth and struck a match, lighting up the end of it, and puffing on it slowly. As he shook the match out and tossed it into a nearby ashtray, he exhaled the smoke, adding to the already smoky looking atmosphere.

"You…smoke, Heichou?"

"What of it?" he looked at her again, looking almost irritated at her question.

"Oh! Well…I just…isn't that unhealthy?"

"Huh. Says the one whose downing whiskey by the glass." He scoffed.

Petra blushed. "I guess you're right…"

She looked up at him again. He just looked so suave sitting there with a cigarette sitting oh so delicately between his fingers. He blew the smoke from his lungs in such a cool fashion, at least, that's the only way Petra could actually describe it. Whatever the reason, it just made him look so much more attractive then he already was.

Levi held the cigarette out to her. "Want a drag?"

Petra only stared at the slowly burning cig, wondering if she should say yes or not. She had never smoked anything before…not to mention Heichou's lips were just on it and….

"You want one or not?"

"Okay…" Petra nervously took the cigarette in her hand and stared at it for a moment.

The smell somewhat bothered her nose, and she even had a second thought about trying it. But then another thought crossed her mind; she would never know if she liked it unless she tried…and well, she already was drinking tonight anyway. She took the square to her mouth and puffed, taking an extremely long drag. She puffed for so long that Levi even raised his eyebrows in slight surprise at her. For a moment, Petra felt like she couldn't breathe. Her eyes watered up and her face started to flush red. When she finally opened her mouth attempting to exhale the smoke, she began coughing violently. She coughed for a good minute, trying to gather her senses together again, when Levi took the cigarette back.

"Didn't like it huh?" he asked.

Petra shook her head back and forth quickly.

"No…" she croaked.

Levi was slightly amused.

A few minutes later, Petra was looking up at the handsome bartender, who had kindly given her a glass of water after witnessing her little choke fest. Petra smiled, flushed red with embarrassment.

"Thank you so much!"

"No problem princess." The bartender winked before tending to another customer.

Levi only rolled his eyes at the idiot, before looking back at Petra, who, once again, didn't seem to notice the bartender's flirting with her. Petra downed the glass of water quickly, before letting out a large drunken sigh.

"Oh Heichou. My dad would kill me if he knew I was drinking whiskey and smoking cigarettes."

"Strict dad?"

"Well…" Petra slid the empty glass forward. "Not really. He just had, well…different expectations for me."

"Expectations? How so?"

"He never really approved of me joining the military at first…but he's a good dad, and he wanted to support me so, well, he went along with it. Now when I told him I was joining the Scouting Legion?" Petra giggled a bit. "Yeah, that was a different story."

Levi took another drag of his smoke and rested his head on his right hand, listening.

"He was so furious with me." Petra laughed to herself, recalling the memory. "It was bad enough that I enlisted as it was, and now I wanted to join the most dangerous branch? I tried to explain to him why I was doing it…but…"

"He just didn't approve." Levi spoke up.

"Exactly…but I also don't think he understands. My dad has always wanted me to live a simple life. Grow up in a decent home, get married, have a family…"

"You don't want that I'm assuming?"

Petra blushed and looked down at her lap for a second, before looking forward again. "I mean…it sounds nice but I…well…I'm not really thinking about that sort of thing at the moment. My heart is just really into what I'm doing now. I love what I do…I love feeling like I can somewhat contribute to humankind…" she looked at Levi.

"Even if it's in the smallest of ways…"

A small silence fell between the two, before Petra realized how she worded her last sentence and the way she looked at Levi when she said it. Once again, she was freaking out inside, hoping to God or whomever that he didn't take notice to that.

Finally, Levi put his cigarette out in the ashtray and spoke up.

"That's very noble of you, Petra."

"What?" Oh no! Far from it, Heichou!" she held up her hands in defense, wondering if she was ever going to quit blushing.

Another hour flew by. More and more people began to enter the bar, somewhat livening it up just a little bit. The music and conversation was getting louder, as well as the drunks. Eren was still knocked out, and Hanji was still in a heated discussion with the strangers, only this time, others were listening and joining in as well. The pretty boy bartender served two more drinks to Petra and Levi, and once again had his eyes on Petra.

"How much do I owe you?" Levi asked.

"On the house Captain Levi." The young man smiled before shifting his gaze back to Petra.

"Oh! You are too kind." Petra smiled sweetly at him. "What's your name anyway?"

"Oh…um…well…" the bartender only nervously scratched the back of his head, looking slightly embarrassed. "My name is Levi."

Levi blinked and looked at the bartender.

Petra only sat there a moment, looking at Levi Heichou, then back at Levi the bartender, amused as ever.

"Well isn't that convenient…" Levi muttered.

"That's so weird! What a small world!" Petra squealed. Levi only rolled his eyes.

"I was named after the Captain actually. My parents had high hopes that I would join the military…but uh…" bartender Levi laughed a bit, almost nervously. "Anyway, enjoy. You especially princess." He smiled sweetly at Petra once more before he walked away.

"Wow Heichou, can you believe that?" she turned to him and smiled, before noticing that he was staring at the bartender with a look of contempt all over his face.

"Stupid fuck."

"Heichou…?"

He looked at Petra, his eyes completely glazed over now.

"You know the only fucking reason that idiot gave us free shit is because of you, right?"

Petra only blinked. "I…I don't understand…"

Levi rolled his eyes. "Idiot thinks he'll fuck one of my subordinates. I'll fucking kill him. Fucking stealing my name, mother fucker…."

As Levi kept mumbling to himself, Petra couldn't help but feel a bit…special. Heichou knew what was happening even before she did. And what's more, he was trying to protect her from any harm this whole time. He could have easily just left her there on her own and went on his way hours ago; but that was not how Levi was. As she had known, and also had known, Levi did care a great deal about his squad, and it was very sweet.

"Stupid dumb fuck thinks I'll leave and he'll have his fucking way…" Levi kept mumbling.

"Heichou?"

Levi stopped and looked up at Petra, who was smiling sweetly at him.

"Thank you for your concern…but don't forget that I can take care of myself."

Levi only blinked and stared at her for a moment.

"Bullshit." He spoke up. "You're drunk off your ass."

Petra only blushed. "Well…"

"Petra."

"…Heichou?"

Levi sighed heavily, placing his hand on his forehead once again.

"I'm drunk."

"Um…" Petra only stared at him for a moment, not quite sure what to say.

She was drunk, that was clearly a fact…but Levi? It was sort of starting to show a little more now. His actions were getting sloppy and his voice was slurring, but he still tried to keep his cool, even now.

Of course he could only try so hard, and for so long at that.


	3. Chapter 3

Petra didn't quite know what to say…or do for this matter. She had never seen the Captain drunk before…but then again, she wasn't exactly sober either. At least Heichou knew how to hide it better…who knows how long he's been feeling tipsy if he's just now showing it.

"Heichou…I'm drunk too."

"I know."

"Well…what do we do?" Petra frantically looked at him.

Levi only looked at her before raising his hand up for the bartender's attention. The handsome bartender quickly made his way over, once again glancing Petra's way.

"Yes sir, what can I get you?"

"Jack and Coke."

Petra only blinked. "Another drink? But-!"

Levi looked at Petra, and then back at the bartender. "Make that two. And I'd like to pay the bill this time."

"Hei…heichou!" Petra tried to protest, but gave up as Levi was already handing 'bartender Levi' some money.

"Coming right up!" the bartender took Levi's cash and quickly hurried to the register.

Levi turned to Petra, only to see her laying her head on the bar counter as she let out a small groan.

"Well what the fuck is the matter with you?" Levi jabbed at her redhead with his index finger.

"Ah! Heichou!" Petra smacked his hand away and turned her head towards him, still resting it on the counter. She had her lower lip puffed out in that pout again like she made at him earlier. "That hurts."

"Oh please. You've had worse happen to you."

"Mrrmmm…" Petra mumbled. "Still hurts…"

"Quit being a baby."

"Why did you order more drinks?"

"Well…you asked what we were going to do…"

"I thought we were going to try and sober up or something!"

"Huh. You are a real prude aren't you, Petra?"

Petra's face immediately flushed a deep shade of red. Prude?

"That's not true! I'm far from it!" she protested.

"Your face is unbelievably red right now. You look like a fucking strawberry."

"Eeep!" Petra blushed even more and turned away from Levi, spinning on the barstool and hiding her face in her hands. Levi only rolled his eyes and grabbed the back of her barstool and spun her back around to face him. She kept her hands over her face, now feeling extremely embarrassed. The booze was definitely magnifying all of her emotions…big time. Now she was acting like an idiot in front of Levi and didn't even know what to do.

"Wow, you are really sensitive aren't you? I was only fucking with you."

She felt two hands slightly wrap around her wrists, which immediately sent goose bumps up and down her body. She felt her hands slowly move from her face and looked up to see Levi sitting directly in front of her, with his hands around her wrists ever so gently. He was leaning forward and looking straight at her, and extremely close at that.

"Heichou…"

"Quit acting so awkward. You're making me feel like a dick." He sighed and rolled his eyes before letting go of Petra's hands, much to her dismay.

"I'm sorry…" she apologized and turned back to the bar counter as their drinks were being served. Levi glanced at her as she pushed some of her hair behind her ear. That was the at least the fourth time she had done that tonight, and every time she did she also managed to be blushing at the same time. What was wrong with that girl anyway?

Levi picked up his glass and was about to take a sip when Petra quickly turned to him.

"We should make a toast." She said, with an ever so serious look on her face that silently amused Levi.

"A toast huh?"

"Mmhm!"

"Alright…" Levi stared at his glass as he rotated it a bit. "To managing to stay alive for this long."

"And to humankind." Petra raised her glass.

"Sure. Whatever…" Levi's glass met Petra's with a 'clink' before they both downed the concoction.

Petra flinched as she set the glass down rather forcefully. "Wow! A lot of whiskey in that one! Whoooo! Heichou! HEICHOU!"

"What the fuck, I'm right here Petra." Levi flinched after Petra practically screamed in his ear. Petra inched closer to him, a little too close for his taste.

"Heichou." She whispered.

"What?"

"Hi, Heichou." She giggled.

"Hi, Petra." Levi rolled his eyes and gently pushed her back into her seat, causing her to laugh cutely.

"You're a real screwball, you know that?"

Petra only smiled warmly before letting out another giggle.

Another twenty minutes had passed by, and by this time the bar was at its loudest. Levi and Petra had continued to drink, despite how fucked up they both were heavily feeling at this point. Levi slammed down another whiskey glass and turned his gaze over to Petra.

"What the fuck is going on over there? Is that a man or a woman? What the…what the fuck, Petra…." He slurred.

"I have _no_ idea what you are talking about." Petra giggled at the serious stare he was giving some random group of people in the corner. "Heichou, don't stare!"

"It's not like they can see me…"

"You'll scare people away!"

"Good."

Petra sighed heavily. "Oh boy..."

"…Hey Petra?" Levi blinked and turned to Petra once more.

"Yes?"

"Won't your boyfriend get pissed if he finds out you're hanging out at a bar with some…"

Before he could even finish the sentence, Petra cut Levi off. "I told you all…I don't have a boyfriend."

"Oh…that's right…" he looked at her for a moment with a slightly confused look on his face, wrinkling his brow a bit. "That's a bit surprising."

Petra blushed a bit. Was Levi complimenting her?

"How so?" she asked.

"Well, I don't know, most girls your age have boyfriends or fiancés or whatever the fuck…"

Petra's shoulders slumped a bit. Maybe not.

"Oh…right." She sighed.

"Petra, why the hell are you hanging around old fucks like Hanji and I tonight anyway?"

"What? You're not old!"

"I'm fucking old…" Levi slumped over the bar counter and stared forward at nothing in particular.

Petra sighed. "At least you look good…" she muttered.

Levi's eyes averted back to Petra from a side glance.

"What was that?"

"Um! Nothing! I didn't say anything!" she frantically tried to keep her cool as Levi, once again, rolled his eyes.

"Weirdo…"

At that moment, Hanji was making her way back up to the bar counter to check on Levi and Petra. She glanced at the wall clock and saw that she had really lost track of the hour, and that everyone should probably be heading back to their posts.

"Alright you two; are you all sobered up yet?" she asked.

Levi and Petra both turned in their barstools towards Hanji with their eyes reddened and a dazed-out look on their faces.

"Oh shit." Hanji sighed. "You both are…? Are you kidding me?"

"What the fuckkk are you yelling about now, shitty glasses?" Levi slurred, causing Hanji's gaze to drift more in his direction.

"Levi…are you…DRUNK?" she squealed excitedly and shot her hands out, pinching the Captain's cheeks with her fingers.

"No."

"You are, aren't you?"

"Get the fuck off of me." Levi grabbed Hanji's hands forcefully but she still continued to pinch his cheeks. Then she turned around to Petra, who was now talking to the hot bartender.

"I get off work soon…would you like to do something?" the bartender smiled smoothly at the drunken ginger.

"I don't know…I'm a little…tipsy." Petra cocked her head and leaned forward as she rested her face in her hands…looking rather cute doing it too.

"That's alright. I could always take you back home later."

"Hm…I don't know…I have to work early usually..."

"Military?"

"Yep! Humankind can't protect itself! Hahahahahaaaaaa!" Petra started laughing; a little too much and a little too loudly, causing some attention to be drawn towards her, and Levi to only sigh out of pure irritation.

Hanji watched this little scenario play out and smiled mischievously. "Oho! Petra's getting hit on! Do you see this, Levi?" she turned back to Levi only to be greeted by an extremely pissed off stare…not at her, but the bartender.

"Uh…you alright there?" Hanji asked, a bit hesitantly.

"He's been hitting on her all night long."

"Okay…and…?"

"Stupid dumb fuck…" he muttered as he continued to glare at the "other Levi", all the while ignoring Hanji's comment.

Hanji looked at Levi, then at the bartender, and then at Petra, before looking back at Levi.

"Oh wow. I'd never thought I'd see the day!" she laughed.

Levi shot her a look. "What?"

"You're jealous!"

Levi blinked and the glared at Hanji once more. "That's so stupid that you'd think that shit." He snapped.

"Well then why are you glaring at the man?"

"I glare at everyone."

"Oho no, no, no, dear Heichou. Not like that."

"Maybe I don't like him because he's being a dick. Did you ever think of that?"

"You're just mad that Petra's attention isn't all over you anymore."

Levi looked at Hanji for a moment, not looking angry, but a bit caught off guard from her comment. His eyebrows began to turn up in distress, but he quickly changed his gaze to another stone cold stare.

"Well fuck you, Hanji. I just don't want some idiot trying to take advantage of my drunken subordinates!"

"Alright, calm down there, champ."

"I'm the fucking Captain…Christ…" Levi muttered.

"Yes you are." Hanji agreed, trying not to giggle at Levi's drunken words. She gave him a slight pat on the head just to fuck with him once more.

"Fuck you, Hanji. Don't touch me…god damn it…" Levi put a hand to his head and sighed heavily. "I drank too much…"

"Yeah… just a little bit. But hey, sometimes it's okay to just take it easy…especially in your case." She smiled and sat on the barstool previously occupied by Petra.

"Pfft." Levi only looked upon the bartender with a solid look of contempt. "Stupid brat…"

"Levi, if you are so worried about Petra being taken advantage of, just say something."

"I'm not worried. She's a soldier; and a strong one at that. She can defend herself…"

Hanji only sighed. "You are always complicating things." She sighed and leaned back in the barstool, before glancing over at Eren, who was still knocked out with his face on the bar counter.

"Is he still breathing?" Hanji asked.

"Yeah, I already checked his pulse. Brat can't handle his liquor." He glanced at Eren, then back over to Petra and her little fan boy, who were still conversing with one another.

"Ah, that's right. Scouting Regiment, correct?" the bartender was leaning forward towards Petra, possibly to hear her better over the noise, or just to be close to the cute ginger, one or the other.

Petra smiled proudly, displaying the Wings of Freedom insignia on her jacket. "Mmhm!"

"You seem proud." He smiled.

A serious look suddenly crossed Petra's face, and she quickly placed her fist over her heart and her arm behind her back in a salute.

"Of course I am! It's an honor to serve my race in any way I can…"

The young man only smiled at her, admiring her ambition, before she continued.

"And even more so, I have the honor of working under Levi Heichou!" Petra suddenly turned her head towards Levi catching him off guard a bit. And right at that moment, her serious face turned giddy again.

"You are the greatest, Heichou!" Petra waved to him, flushed red from pure drunkenness.

"Dear God…" Levi rubbed his temples with his index and middle fingers. Hanji only shook her head and chuckled a bit.

"What a gal, that Petra Ral." She laughed.

Levi only let out another sigh.

Hanji sat up and leaned in close to Levi. "You know, if you would have just danced with the girl, she wouldn't be so into Levi #2 over there." She grinned.

Levi suddenly pushed away from the bar counter and stood up quickly, staggering just a little bit due to sitting down drunk for so long.

"Jesus Christ, Hanji."

"Whoa, whoa! Calm down, Levi!" Hanji put her hands up in defense. "I was just fucking with you. Now why don't you just sit back down and have some water or something…" Hanji trailed off as Levi ignored her and walked off towards the other side of the counter.

Petra's conversation with the bartender was cut short as Levi walked up to the two. Petra turned to him and smiled warmly, happy to see him.

"Oh, Heichou!"

She then noticed the look of disdain on his face and quickly went into an internal panic. Was he okay? Did she do something wrong?

"…What's wrong?" Petra looked at him with a sincere look in those honey colored eyes of hers.

Levi, however, didn't waste any time grabbing Petra's arm almost forcefully and dragging her out to the dining area.

"Nyah! Heichou! What's going on?" Petra blushed, very confused at this point. They stopped near the piano, where Levi put his hands on the redhead's shoulders, attempting to straighten her drunken slouch.

"You wanted a dance. You'll get a fucking dance." He said. "Wait here, damn it."

"…Wha?" Petra blinked as Levi walked over to the pianist and began talking to him. Petra turned and looked back towards the bar, where her flirty bartender stood, still looking a bit confused at what had just happened. Petra looked around the bar, for everything was beginning to look extremely hazy at this point. She tried hard to regain her senses and figure out why Heichou had so forcefully dragged her into the middle of the bar like this. Did she do something wrong? Was Levi angry with her? Before she could even try to mentally answer these questions, Levi had returned to her. The pianist had stopped playing briefly, and then started up again with a brand new tune.

"Hello? Petra?"

"Huh? Wha?"

"You alright?"

"Oh…yes…"

"Alright, come here."

"Okay…" Petra started walking towards Levi, but due to her drunken state, clumsily tripped and fell forward. She nearly fell into him, but he already had his arms around her as she clutched his jacket, practically hanging off of him.

"Watch out, Petra." Levi sighed.

"Eeep! I'm so sorry!" she jumped up and backed away, only to have Levi move in close to her again.

"Heichou…"

"Well? Give me your hand."

Petra hesitated for a moment, before putting her hand into Levi's. He then gently set his other hand on her waist.

"Move closer to me."

"Mm…" Petra stepped closer to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. Her stomach felt like it was going to burst from either all of the butterflies in it or the booze…probably both. She had never been this close to Levi before… holding his hand…touching him…and now her face was already getting hot. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, still slowly trying to regain her senses. She heard the music playing…and it was getting louder and louder…

Finally she opened her eyes and looked around the bar. It was like a hazy dream, and almost felt like everything was playing in slow motion. Cigarette smoke filled the room, along with muffled laughter, talking, and singing from patrons. The music was at a nice paced tempo, but still a bit muffled, as if being played from a distance. Her vision was very fuzzy at this point; and for a moment, she began to feel a little disoriented.

"Shit, Petra, watch what you're doing…hello?"

"Huh?" her eyes averted back to him. That's right…she was still at the bar. With Levi…

Levi…

Suddenly she regained all clarity as his face came into clear view once more. She blinked and looked around. She was moving, and Heichou was moving with her…that's right…they were dancing. Suddenly, Petra's heart rate when up again and her mouth went dry.

Dancing?!

"Fuck, Petra!"

"Oh! I'm sorry!" Petra looked down to see that she was and had been stepping on Levi's feet ever since they started dancing. "I'm sorry, Levi. I'm…I'm drunk…"

Levi blinked and looked at her as she stopped in the middle of the dance, looking embarrassed and a little spaced. That was the first time she actually had called him by his first name all night. He really couldn't think of a time where she only called him by his name unless it was followed by 'heichou'.

He sighed.

"I'm piss drunk too…you know…" he was still slurring his speech. "Here…let me lead."

"Heichou I really don't…"

"Just come here." He sighed. He took her hand again and pulled her close. "I'll show you how to do it right…"

Petra looked up at him as he placed his hand on her hips again. He was so handsome…

"Like this. Move where I move."

"Okay…"

"Follow me. Don't try to lead. Just follow me."

"_Don't screw this up, Petra…"_ her thoughts were racing. _"Just relax…follow him…"_

Petra began to follow Levi, making a few clumsy steps at first, but gradually started to keep up. Levi picked up their pace once again. Hanji sat at the bar, spying from a distance while sipping from a whiskey glass of her own. She could only smile at her drunken comrades who seemed to be getting closer than they normally would. She couldn't decide who was more amusing; Levi or Petra. She turned her head and glanced over at Eren, who was still out cold.

"Oh Eren. Please don't ever let them do this to you again." She pouted, still disappointed that he wasn't awake.

"Small steps, one, two, one…there you go." Levi moved swiftly as Petra followed.

Petra cracked a smile. "Hey, this isn't so bad. I guess I should have mentioned that I…uh…" she looked away with a slight bashful look on her face.

"That…?" Levi gave her look.

"Well…that I'm not much of a dancer." She laughed a bit, now slowly beginning to feel more calm.

"I never would have guessed."

Petra blushed a bit. "Heichou…I never would have expected that you knew how to…well…where did you learn to dance like this?"

Levi only looked at her for a moment and made another one of his infamous faces before letting out a small groan.

"Okay, okay, you don't have to tell me." Petra laughed as the two continued to float across the floor. Petra finally was able to hear the song clearly, and her eyes lit up as she recognized the tune.

"Hey! I know this song!"

"Do you?"

"Oh yeah. It's old though, isn't it?"

Levi gave her look. "Old? I think I was your age when this song came out. It's not _that_ old."

Petra blushed once more. "Oh no! That's not what I-!"

"Actually…I think I was sixteen…so younger then you…I don't fucking remember…"

Petra looked at Levi as he glanced to the side. He had barely looked at her the whole dance, which was fine, that was just Heichou's way sometimes. But how the _hell_ they were still actually dancing together and this close was still a mystery to Petra. He was drunk…that was the only reason why he'd ever be doing this with her in the first place.

"_Well that doesn't mean I can't enjoy it anyway." _Petra smiled to herself. "Sixteen when this song came out, huh?"

"Yeah."

She blushed once more. She had forgotten how much older Heichou was; meaning she was just a baby when he was in his mid-teens. She sighed to herself; what was with her attraction to older men anyway?

She glanced up at Levi again.

He had such a nice face; strong features, porcelain skin…and his eyes were so mysterious. In a way, they seemed to almost change color sometimes…at least that's what it seemed like some days. Heichou was so attractive…and brave…and loyal… and kind in his own way. Sure, he was blunt most of the time and spoke his mind a little more often than would be polite…and he sure had a way intimidating others; but those were probably the things she loved the most about him. He wasn't perfect…he was…Heichou. He was Levi…

Love…

She had never really thought about it in that way but…maybe that was it. Maybe that's why Heichou always made her feel this way… maybe that was why…

Petra flinched, feeling her stomach curl slightly. Was she really feeling that strongly that she was actually getting sick because of it? She was in love with the man. The man standing right in front of her, only inches away. She loved him…and didn't even know what to do about it. She couldn't possibly tell him how she felt, for that was absolutely silly under these recent circumstances. And on top of that, she was pretty sure he didn't have time for that sort of thing…not at the moment anyway. Regardless, Petra knew what she wanted to do with her career now, for it hit her like a ton of bricks in just a matter of seconds. She wanted to stay in Scouting Regiment, regardless of her father's feelings on it. She wanted to stay working under Levi and stand by his side for as long as he would let her…she wanted to…

She looked at him again, and this time, he was looking straight at her, his eyes meeting hers.

"_I want to devote my entire life to Levi Heichou…"_

"What?" Levi slightly raised an eyebrow.

"Levi…" Petra whispered with a small tinge of sweetness in her voice. She had, once again, decided to call him by his first name. Levi only looked at her as she kept gazing at him, noticing that she was starting to look extremely pale, maybe even sick.

"Petra…? You don't look so…"

Petra flinched and grabbed her stomach. She was instantly attacked by the worst nausea she's felt in, well, pretty much her entire life. And with that, she gagged and…

"BLEHHHH!" Petra threw up; all over the floor, all over herself and…all over Levi.

Hanji saw this from the bar and immediately stood up. "Oh no..." she quickly headed over to the two as other patrons looked on.

Petra stood there, doubled over, but had ceased anymore vomiting. Levi stood there, still as ever, while staring into nothing…with a horrified look on his face.

This was so disgusting…

Disgusting.

She did not just….vomit all over him…

As Hanji helped Petra back to her feet, she managed to glance at Levi. Sure enough, the man was in complete and utter shock. He wasn't even moving, that's how caught off guard he was. A dirty dive bar was one thing…but regurgitating all over him was certainly another.

"…Levi? Are you…? Hanji started, but thought it was pointless to finish, as he only continued to stand there in shock.

About fifteen minutes later, Hanji, Petra, and Levi made their way outside, with Levi wearing less articles of his uniform this time. He wore only his pants, his button up shirt, with his harness and belt straps still attached. His military jacket and cloak were in a brown paper bag he was carrying, as well as his dirtied cravat. His white shirt had a rather large yellowish stain on it from tying his best to scrub Petra's puke off of it at the bar, but could only do so much. She had already done in his jacket, so now there was nothing left to do but wait patiently as they made their way back to base. The sooner they got back, the sooner he could peel out of the rest of these disgusting clothes…and take care of the horrible headache that was coming on. Meanwhile, as Hanji tried to help Petra walk straight, Levi was carrying a mumbling, yet still piss drunk Eren over his shoulder.

"What's…what's going on?" Eren mumbled, which Levi only ignored.

"Are you alright, Petra?" Hanji slowly let go of Petra's shoulders, making sure she was okay to stand. Petra only stared up at her in a daze.

"I guess that's a no…"

Petra quickly grabbed Hanji's shoulders and stared at her frantically. "Hanji! I threw up all over…all over Heichou!" she whispered.

Hanji blinked and looked down at small girl for a moment before giving her a kind smile. "Oh don't worry. He's fine. You just…caught him off guard a bit." She scratched the back of her head and chuckled. "He's not mad at you. Just a little grossed out is all."

Petra's shoulders slumped and she let out a miserable sigh.

"Oh…Oh no! Not grossed out at you!" Hanji protested. "More like the situation!"

"He hates me now…." Petra muttered, looking miserable as ever.

Hanji only sighed, for clearly, she wasn't paying attention to anything she was saying. She quickly turned to Levi. "Levi what are we going to…"

Hanji stopped mid-sentence when she witnessed Eren drunkenly gnawing on his hand; the hand that he supposedly would bite in order to go into Titan mode.

"I'm going to…KILL ALL OF THE TITANS…." Eren mumbled while gnawing on his hand.

"You little SHIT!" Levi threw him to the ground and gave him one swift kick in the head, knocking the boy out cold once more.

"Oh wow…that was close…" Hanji looked down at Eren. "What a shame. I really wanted to see him transformed." she pouted.

Levi turned and shot her a look. "Are you fucking crazy? Not here. With all of these people around? Christ, shitty glasses…" he rubbed his forehead.

"I was partially joking, you know…"

"Tie him up…his hands at least. Brat really can't handle his alcohol…"

"You all are complete lunatics when you're wasted…" Hanji shook her head and knelt down next to Eren. "Can you even ride home, Levi?"

"I'm drunk, not a moron."

"Okayyy…well what about Petra over there?" Hanji motioned in Petra's direction as she pulled some twine from her pocket. Petra was standing near her horse, and looked like she was mumbling to it from afar.

"Oh, I really messed up tonight, boy…" she whispered to her horse, which only blinked in response. "Dad would be so worried if he knew what I did…" she slightly laughed, but only for a moment.

_Dear Dad,_

_How is everyone? I'm doing well. Work is…work…you know, always exciting right? My squad is doing well…Auruo cheated during checkers the other night…jerk…Erd was telling me about his fiancé. She sounds really nice and really sweet, and he seems to miss her a lot. Oh and…(now don't get mad at me) I had my first real drink…and a few more…and I…well, I got drunk for the first time. It was actually kind of fun. Well, it was fun until I threw up all over Heichou… ah…speaking of Heichou…dad? When did you realize that you first loved mom?_

…_._

_I really don't know how to say this…_

_I think I might be…in love._

…_._

_This is so weird talking about this. I think I'm going to rip this one up…I'm still drunk anyway…mehhh._

_I love you dad…and I miss you all very much._

_Love,_

_Your Petra_


	4. Chapter 4

"Alright, we're back…need help, Petra?" Hanji glanced back at Petra, who now had her head buried into Hanji's back.

"Mrrrmmm…" Petra groaned.

"Can you climb down?"

"Mmmm…"

Hanji sighed. "Alright well, just sit tight and I'll help you. Please try not to fall off."

"Okay…"

Hanji dismounted the horse and jumped to the ground. She looked over her shoulder to see Levi dismounting his horse as well, with Eren slung over the back. Levi looked at Eren, who was still knocked out, and then glanced over in Hanji's direction with a disgusted look on his face and let out a sigh.

"Hey don't give me that! You are the one who kicked him!"

Levi only groaned once more.

"Oh dear god…" Hanji sighed and turned back to Petra, who now practically hanging off of the horse now. "Petraaaa!"

"Mmm…" Petra splashed some water on her face, trying to sober up a bit. As if splashing water on her face was going to do anything….but whatever. She had changed into some light sleepwear; nothing fancy, just an oversized short sleeved shirt that went a little past her thighs. Petra liked to be comfortable and cool at night, especially after having to wear that uniform all day. She shoved a foamy toothbrush into her mouth and slowly brushed, with a bit of toothpaste foam dripping from her chin. After dazing out for a moment, she finally spit out the built up foam and rinsed. She thought about showering, but just didn't feel like it and was afraid she'd probably pass out in the shower anyway…sadly. Petra blinked.

"Oh…I must have forgotten my jacket downstairs…" Petra wiped her face and walked to the hallway, still staggering along the way. She was wondering when she would start to feel normal again, though she was feeling much better since she had thrown up…even if it was all over Levi.

"Ohhh…" she groaned to herself, recalling her last memory with Levi from the night. He absolutely hated filth, and there she was, spewing it all over him. "Ooof!"

"Wow, watch out there!"

Petra looked up to see that she had run into Hanji once again. She looked around, a bit disorientated, and realized that she was already downstairs.

"Oh…Hanji…"

"Looking for this I assume?" Hanji smiled warmly and handed Petra her military jacket.

"Oh, thank you…" Petra took her jacket and hung it over her arm.

"How are you feeling?"

"Um…"

"Haha! Well don't worry. You'll sleep it off tonight. Aw, you look cute by the way!"

"Huh?" Petra blushed madly, realizing that she was still only in her night shirt. "Oh, no, I'm really not…" she stuttered.

"Are you kidding? You got some killer legs, girl! Who would've thought?" Hanji laughed, only making Petra blush even more. "You know…" she leaned down closer to Petra. "Rumor has it that Levi has a leg fetish."

"W-wha?" Petra was beet red at this point, extremely confused and didn't quite know how to respond to Hanji.

"Oh relax! I'm just teasing you! I'm sorry, was that too much?" she laughed.

"No…I'm…"

"Well, I really should be heading out. I put the horses up in the stable, so you all are good to go."

"Oh Squad Leader! I'm sorry! You stayed out late for us…"

"Don't worry. It was no trouble at all! Well…it wasn't too troublesome anyway." she smirked. "Don't worry. Levi owes me one now."

"Where is Heichou anyway?" Petra cocked her head.

"Well I'm sure he's probably scrubbed himself head to toe by now…"

Petra hid her head in her hands and blushed once more.

"And last I saw him he was heading down to the basement. I think he's just trying to make sure Eren doesn't try anything funny while he's blacked out." She sighed. "He's _still_ knocked out. I really hope Levi didn't give him a concussion. Well anyway, good night Petra." 

"Good night…thank you." Petra smiled.

"Oh no problem." Hanji turned to her as she got to the front door. "By the way, why don't you go check on Levi? Make sure he's alright down there?" she winked.

"Wh-what?" before Petra could even say anything else, Hanji had left.

She sighed heavily and looked down the dark hallway. Maybe she should check on Levi…and Eren. Just to be sure they were alright and all. She slowly walked down the hallway, still a bit dazed. It was dark, but the moonlight shining through some of the windows made it less difficult to see. She got to the top of the winding staircase that lead to the basement and looked down.

"Heichou? Eren?" she nearly whispered.

She was tired, and could have probably fallen asleep right there at the top of the staircase, but decided to head down anyway. She slowly made her way down the stairs, taking great care not to fall because, for some reason, she had been horribly clumsy all night long. She smiled to herself. Even though she drank a little too much, despite Levi's warning, she had fun. She had fun with the squad, and most of all…enjoyed her time with Levi. Even though she knew she would probably never get one-on-one time with him like that again, it was still nice to think about it.

She groaned as her face flushed once more. She couldn't help the pathetic feelings she was having…she had even drunkenly written that letter to her dad. What in the world was wrong with her anyway…aside from still being drunk. She was never going to function well in the morning at this rate. She stepped down from the last step of the staircase and into the basement. The stone floor was cold underneath her feet, sending a slight chill up her legs. It was darker, due to the lack of windows, and was dimly lit by a few torches on the wall. The basement was large, but a bit more compact then Petra would have thought, due to the size of the castle. On the other hand, this was just a basement area…unlike the unoccupied dungeon that was sitting even farther underneath apparently. It was a bit creepy to think about…that prisoners had lived and died in the room below them back in the day. She stood at the edge of the staircase for a moment, adjusting her eyes to the lighting and looked in the corner of the room. There was a regular sized cot and a large trunk sitting there, with a small red throw rug. Other than that, the basement was bit dingy looking. She walked up to the cot only to spot a lump underneath the covers. She inched a bit closer, looking over the body that was laying there, nearly motionless. The head that was peeking out of the covers belonged to Eren, who slept curled up under the sheets with his mouth slightly open, breathing ever so softly. He was so quiet that Petra had to get a little closer to hear his breathing and see his back moving up and down. She sighed in relief; for a moment, she really did think that Levi may have given him a concussion. But then again, this was Eren, and his ability to heal was phenomenal, even if she didn't fully understand it yet. That boy was knocked out cold. She was so tempted to just push the kid over and lay down on the comfy looking cot, but she decided against it. She only came down here to check on Levi and Eren anyway…

"What are you doing?"

"Eeep!" Petra gasped and nearly jumped out of her skin and quickly spun around in defense mode. She turned quickly, nearly smacking once again into Levi, who stood there in a pair of fitted black pants and a green hooded sweatshirt the donned the Wings of Freedom insignia over the right side of his chest. The sweatshirt was open, revealing his built figure. His hair was wet, and slightly slicked back with a few pieces falling over his forehead. He also smelled really really good…

"I didn't think you were the type that would creep on someone like that."

"What? I'm not creeping! I was just…" she was too distracted by Levi's very handsome appearance to even finish her sentence. But she didn't want to look like a weirdo again…

"I was just checking up on you two. Making sure you're alright…"

Levi only blinked and looked at her. "I feel like shit."

Petra smiled and let out a small laugh. "Yeah me too."

Levi only looked at her, when his eyes began to wander a bit. The girl was only wearing an oversized shirt, with her legs very much exposed. She really did have nice legs…

"Um, Heichou?"

Shit, was he actually staring at her legs? Levi's eyes quickly averted back to Petra's face, who was staring at him now. Levi stood up straight and turned his head to the side, cocking it slightly.

"Aren't you a little cold wearing only that?"

"Huh?" Petra looked down at herself and nearly flipped out. She had once again forgotten that she was only wearing her night shirt. Heichou had just gotten a full glimpse at her legs, her thighs…She blushed madly and tugged at the hem of her shirt, as if trying to stretch in down just a little farther.

"Well, you see I like to be cool and comfy at night. Um, you know, and guy shirts are just the way to go. I mean, I feel more comfortable in them anyway."

"Comfort is key I suppose. Considering those uniforms suck ass anyway."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that…."

"I would. Anyway, did you need something?"

"Nothing really; just checking up on you and Eren…" she glanced back down at the slumbering boy. The cot still looked extremely comfortable. "Maybe just for a minute…"

"What are you mumbling over there?" Levi raised an eyebrow.

Without hesitation, Petra gently shoved Eren to the side a bit and slid under the covers next to him.

"Ah…bed…" she mumbled as she began to close her eyes.

"What? Hey! Petra, what are you doing?" Levi blinked, a bit taken aback that the redhead had climbed into bed next to the brat ever so willingly. He quickly walked over to the cot and shook her shoulder a bit. "Wake up. Hey!" he shook her shoulder even harder, raising his voice only slightly. Petra only sighed comfortably and snuggled even closer to Eren.

"Bed is nice…" she mumbled.

Levi scowled. "Alright, that's it. Fun's over." He crouched down and looped his arms under hers and practically yanked her upward, now dragging her from the bed.

"Heichou! That's hurts! Stoppp!"

"Quit whining and move."

"It was only for a minute! Why are you so mad?"

"I'm not mad…You just shouldn't be sleeping in the same bed with that brat…!"

"Heichou I can't stand-!" Petra fell back onto Levi, whose attempt to drag her out of Eren's bed failed miserably. Levi fell hard on his on the stone floor, with Petra's head now laying in his lap, with her legs still in the cot tangled in the bedsheets.

Petra looked up at Levi, who was now upside down in her vision and stared at him for a moment.

"Christ, Petra…" Levi sighed as he rubbed his furrowed brow.

Petra blinked, once again not fully realizing her actions until a few moments passed. Then she immediately shot up, her face hot and flushed.

"Ohhh!"

She was just lying in the Captain's lap. This was cause for the firing squad for sure.

"What?" Levi snapped. "You're jumpy as ever tonight…I'm starting to think you can't handle your alcohol either."

"What? Hey, no fair!" Petra turned to him, sitting on her legs with her hands on her lap, still tugging at her shirt. "That was my first time drinking!" she pouted.

"Yeah, and I told you to pace yourself, but you threw that logic out the shitty window."

Petra blushed even more, feeling a bit guilty now.

"I'm sorry! I'm a failure to you and this squad!" she wailed, causing Levi to get a little caught off guard at her sudden change in emotions.

"What? That had nothing to do with…god dammit, Petra…" he sighed as Petra continued to slam herself with guilt. She buried her head in her knees and started to get really quiet for a moment.

"You are not a failure…"

Petra looked up at him, her eyes reddened from the wild night and the 'almost' tears.

"Huh?"

"Far from it actually." Levi slid over to Petra's side and leaned back against the side of Eren's cot. He sighed, and looked back over to Petra, whose amber eyes seemed to glow like embers in the dim fire light.

"You're a strong fighter and have a powerful will…why do you think I picked you and the others to be on my squad out of the many? I mean god damn, have a little confidence…"

Petra only blinked.

"Well no…your confidence is usually very high. I like that. I just didn't know you could get so…emotional." He looked at her again, causing her to quickly turn her face away.

"I'm not! I'm just…"

She looked down at her hands. They felt so sweaty…why were they sweaty? She was getting a little too emotional…she really shouldn't have guzzled down that much alcohol so carelessly. She clenched her hands into fists and looked back up at the Captain.

"I'm still drunk, okay?" she gave him a look that seemed to sear into him for a moment.

He knew right then that he had said too much. Usually, he didn't care how it sounded, much less how it made someone else feel. In fact, being blunt was his thing, and everyone, even Petra especially, knew that. But maybe she did have a limit after all; and for some reason, he didn't want to upset her, especially in her current state of mind. He leaned his head back up against the cot and closed his eyes.

"Fair enough."

Petra blinked once more. That was it? Fair enough?

"…Heichou? Are you still drunk too?" she asked.

Levi opened his eyes and averted them towards her again. "No."

"You're a liar, Heichou." She frowned.

"Oh really?"

Petra nodded her head. "Really."

Levi only held his stare at her. She really knew how to pick at him, and most of the time it bugged the living shit out of him. But other times, like right now, it fascinated him. Of course, before he could even think on it any further, he had already discarded the thought before it could progress any further in his mind. That's just what he had to do most days…

"Can I pleassse sleep in the bed?" Petra was suddenly staring at Levi with puppy dog eyes and a pouty lip.

"What? No."

"But…!"

"Out of the question." He scowled.

She sighed heavily. "I'm just so tired…"

"So go back upstairs to your own bed then."

"Are you going back upstairs?"

"No."

"No?"

"Not now anyway. I need to make sure the brat doesn't try anything shitty to kill us all while we sleep. Didn't you see him back at the bar?"

"Well then, I'll wait with you." She scooted closer to Levi.

"I don't need you here. Go to bed."

"It's probably best if we both are down here anyway, right?" she looked up at the Captain. "Just in case something _does_ happen?"

Levi only looked at her before closing his eyes and sighing once more. "Says the one who climbed into bed with a titan."

"Heichou! You said that in such a lewd way!"

"Come on, it was funny."

"It's not funny at all!" she blushed.

"Go to bed."

"I don't want to…"

Levi looked at her once more. She was already looking at him, as close as they were to each other, for some reason, she was keeping her gaze. Petra was sweet, and maybe sometimes a little too nice for her own good, but usually when she made a decision, no matter how big or small, she never went back on it. She just always seemed so sure about everything, even if she knew what the outcome might be. The two remained silent towards one another for a few moments, before Levi rolled his eyes at her.

"Do what you want. I don't give two shits…" he mumbled and leaned his head back again, resting his eyes.

Petra only kept her gaze on him. He was always so calm and cool, no matter the situation. Even though she admired that a lot about him, sometimes she wondered what he really was thinking some days.

She leaned her head back against the cot and closed her eyes as well; only for a small rest. Levi looked so handsome. Hell, clean, dirty, in or out of uniform, he always managed to look good. And it was so nice to be around him, all night even, which was definitely a rarity for Petra. He didn't always show it in his face or his tone, but he really was kind. Of course he would try to hide that under stone cold stares and foul language, but she always knew that he could be sweet when it all came down to it, in his own way anyhow. Petra felt her eyes getting heavier and heavier as she began to drift off into her own little dream world…perhaps she was more tired than she thought.

"Mmm…" Petra flinched as her head continued to pound. She shifted a bit, not feeling completely comfortable, before slowly opening her eyes a bit. The room was dark, with the exception of a few dim torches on the wall. The side of her face was pressed up against something warm, making her face tingle a bit. Wherever she was, she must have been in that position for quite a while if her face was already going numb. She opened her eyes all of the way and raised her head a bit, brushing her cheek against the warm body sitting next to her. Suddenly she stiffened up, staring at Levi, who was as close as he's ever been. She was curled up against him, and must have had her head resting on his shoulder this entire time, which would explain the reason for her tingling cheek. His head was slightly tilted back against the cot with his eyes closed and his mouth open very slightly and breathing softly. His arms were crossed over his chest…his bare chest. Petra looked down at her lap and saw the sweatshirt he had been wearing earlier was now draped over her legs. He must have placed it over her while she was sleeping…but when did she…?

Petra shifted a bit, feeling extremely embarrassed and nervous about falling asleep on Levi like that. Should she wake him? Should she just move? She was still feeling extremely groggy, with her eyes drooping every few seconds. Suddenly, a small grunt came from the handsome Captain. She looked at him to see his head still laid back and his infamous brow beginning to furl.

"Petra, fuck, I'm trying to sleep…stop moving around…" he mumbled without opening his eyes.

Petra only blushed and whispered, "Sorry…" before her heavy eyes drooped once more.

Throughout the night, she slept very soundly at some points, but would wake up uncomfortably at other points. Every time she would wake up, she would still be in the basement, still on the cold floor, and somehow, still extremely close to Levi. At one point she woke up lying on the floor with Levi's sweater draped over her. He wasn't lying next to her, but a few feet away, curled up on his side with his back to her. It was definitely not like him to sleep on a floor at all, much less one as filthy as the basement floor.

She stared at his back for a moment, the same back that she stared at earlier while riding into town with him. He had such a beautiful back…so lovely, yet so full of intense memories. She inched closer to him, getting a better view of the markings left from the harness and the scars from battle. She held her hand out, reluctant at first, but continued to reach out and touch him, gently gliding her fingers over his soft skin. He didn't wake up, only continued to breathe softly, his back slowly rising and falling with every breath he took. Her fingers delicately danced across his back, outlining every scar, every mark…

She really shouldn't be touching him like this…

It was already inappropriate to be this close to him…her Captain…but it was completely taboo to even lay a finger on him. Levi did not like to be touched by anyone, not in the slightest. The fact that they had been so close all night long was only a result of alcohol abuse on both of their ends, so if he were to wake up now and see her doing this…well…she didn't want to think about it. But if she truly knew what the outcome of her actions would be, then why was she doing it? Why did she continue to run her fingers over his skin? Why did she feel the need to be as close to him as possible? Why did she prefer to lie on the cold stone floor with him instead of her warm and comfortable bed? Why did she need to be near him so?

"Levi…" she whispered. She ran her fingers down his center, all the way down and over his lower back.

Without warning, Levi forcefully shot up and spun around, grabbing Petra's hand and pinning her to the ground. Petra laid there as Levi stared coldly at her as he hovered over her body for a moment. As he came to his senses, he saw her underneath him and slowly loosened his grip on her wrist.

"What are you doing?" he asked sternly.

"I…I'm sorry…" was all she said as she stared up at him.

Levi only stared at her for a moment, his expression not wavering, before removing himself from her.

"Don't do it again…especially there…"

"Where? Your lower back?" she sat up, still feeling a little spooked from Levi's sudden action.

Levi glanced back at her, now showing her a cold stare. "Just don't fucking do it again."

"I'm sorry, Heichou…" Petra nervously pushed some of her hair behind her ear.

"…Alright." was all Levi said before leaning back up against the cot and resting his eyes again.

Petra blinked, still feeling tired; to think that the effects of alcohol could make someone feel so weak. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to drink ever again…

She shouldn't have touched Levi like that.

She was ruining everything tonight…

Eren slowly opened his eyes and yawned.

"Ah! Shit…" he grabbed his forehead in agony as a large jolt of pain filled his head. What happened? Where was he? He sat up slowly while rubbing his head. He remembered that he was at the bar earlier with the rest of the squad…and Auruo was egging him on to take a shot…and then Levi came…

"What…?" Eren sighed heavily, the rest of his memories from the night being a blur. Did he really give into that idiot Auruo and drink? He was totally against being under the influence and what does he do? Drink until he blacks out. Mikasa was definitely going to kill him when she finds out…

Eren swung his legs over the side of the cot and looked down, looking for his boots. His head was seriously killing him. This couldn't have been from the liquor, because it felt like someone had kicked him in the face or something like that…

He leaned down reaching for his shoes, when he saw Captain Levi lying there on the floor. Eren blinked. As if that wasn't confusing enough, his confused gaze shifted over to the ginger haired beauty lying beside him. Petra and Levi were both sleeping next to each other, with Petra snuggled up against Levi. The really freaky part was that Levi and Petra both fit into each other, looking extremely comfortable being so close to one another. Levi hated to be touched, much less have someone laying so close to him, or so he heard. And why was he shirtless?

Eren blinked again.

What in the world was going on? Was he dreaming or what? He looked down at the two again, his eyes accidentally falling over Petra, who was only wearing a very short night shirt, exposing her legs and most of her thighs. Eren found himself staring at the girl a little longer then he probably should have, but he couldn't help it; she had some nice legs.

"Damn…"

At that moment, Levi's eyes opened and averted over to Eren. They both stared at each other for a moment, and as Eren opened his mouth to say something, Levi quickly leapt up and shoved Eren into the bed.

"Heichou-!" Eren's mouth was covered by Levi's hand, almost forcefully.

"Go the fuck to sleep."

"But I…!" Eren's voice was muffled under Levi's hand.

"If you mention this to anyone I'll kill you." Levi said in very calm manner, so calm that it was scary. He then removed himself from the bed and stood up, glancing down at Petra who still had his sweatshirt covering her. She was, somehow, was still fast asleep. He knelt down beside her and put a hand on her shoulder, gently shaking her.

"Petra."

She made no response.

"Petra. Wake up."

"Ung…" she mumbled.

"Come on. I know you hear me."

Petra only groaned again.

"If you think I'm fucking carrying you upstairs then you're outta luck, kid."

"Heichou…ung…"

Levi only sighed heavily. Why were his subordinates such a bother tonight? He rolled his eyes and scooped Petra up in his arms and stood up again, glancing back at Eren once more.

"Don't try anything stupid, or I will kill you." He said, before making his way to the stairs.

Eren only stared at Levi's back before he was out of sight.

"What was that freak-out all about…?" Eren looked bewildered as he rubbed his head. Now that he thought about it, he smelled alcohol heavily on the Captain's breath. Had he been drinking as well? On top of that, Eren's head was pounding profusely at this point. He was starting to remember, though very vague…being kicked in the head after all…

Meanwhile, Levi was carrying the passed out redhead up the stairs, still not getting much of a response out of her.

"Which one is yours…" he mumbled, before stopping in front of a room on the second floor.

He gently pushed the door open and looked inside. There was nothing in the room to indicate that it was any different from his other subordinate's rooms. It wasn't until his gaze fell on the small night stand beside the bed that he knew it must be her room. A small silver hairbrush donned with a pink bow sat on the stand, next to an old framed photo of a man with kind eyes with a small redheaded girl sitting atop his shoulders wearing a yellow dress and a sunhat. She looked to be no older than five years old. Right next to the photo sat another, with the same girl, only older, posing and smiling big with fellow cadets at a graduation ceremony. This was definitely her room. He carried her inside and gently set her down on the bed, leaning forward a bit. Unfortunately, he didn't see the piece of wood jutting out of the defective bed and stuck his ankle on it, causing him to fall forward a bit, nearly crushing the girl. He threw his hands forward to catch his fall just so he wouldn't fall on her, when the pain pinched his foot now.

"Shit…!" Levi growled, annoyed as ever, before looking down at Petra, whose amber eyes were awake once more, and once again staring into his. They were extremely close at this point, with both of Levi's hands on each side of the girl's head where he caught his fall.

"Are…you alright, Heichou?" Petra looked at him with tired eyes.

"Yeah…"

Petra glanced around the room and saw that she was no longer in the basement, but back in her bedroom. Did Levi carry her up here? That didn't even matter…they were both in her room, with the Captain laying above her in her bed, for whatever reason. He still smelled strongly of alcohol, which made her flinch a bit at first, but maybe she didn't smell any better. She set her gaze on him again, and this time could see that he was indeed a hot mess. The dark circles around his eyes were way more defined, and he looked extremely tired. He still had that glazed over look to his eyes as well.

"Are you sure…?" she asked, just to be reassured.

"I said I'm fine…Christ…"

"…Heichou?"

"What?"

"I'm sorry…for throwing up all over you earlier…please don't be angry with me…"

Levi closed his eyes and flinched a bit, thinking of the unpleasant memory. He opened them again, still looking as calm as ever.

"I'm not angry." He sighed. "You're washing my uniform tomorrow anyway."

"Fair enough." Petra smiled sweetly at him and laughed a bit, only causing him to blink. She honestly felt relieved that he wasn't angry with her. She looked at him again briefly, gazing up at him, causing Levi to raise an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Your eyes are blue today."

"What are you talking about now?"

"Your eyes are usually gray…but they change colors. Sometimes they are blue, sometimes a blue-gray…"

"You honestly pay attention to that? Why?"

"Oh! I…I don't know…I guess I just have an eye for that sort of thing…"

"That's a bit stupid…" Levi muttered, causing Petra to blush, a little embarrassed. "My eyes aren't anything special anyway. It's weird and stupid that they change like that…"

"Not at all." Petra spoke up, causing Levi to look at her once more. "They are unique…I like them."

Levi cocked his head at her. "You like them, huh?"

"I-I mean!" Petra stuttered, still flushed.

"Well at least they aren't a shit brown color like Hanji's."

"Heichou! What a mean thing to say."

Levi only shrugged. "Well they do."

"Better than my weird eyes…" she muttered.

"There's nothing wrong with yours."

Petra looked at him once more.

"They kind of remind me of honey…"

"Oh…" she blushed a bit.

"I fucking hate honey though…"

"Oh…" she frowned, turning away.

Levi blinked, noticing her expression and then realizing that that was probably a real assholish thing to say.

"Fuck, Petra, I wasn't comparing you to…they're more like amber. Amber is…nice…" he trailed of before sighing.

Petra glanced up at him again, his face looking slightly distressed, but only slightly. Was he really trying to be nice? She suddenly smiled big and laughed, catching Levi off guard a bit.

"What the hell is so funny?"

"Heichou, you don't have to worry about hurting my feelings." She smiled sweetly at him. "I know how you are."

"What?" Levi sighed. "You're still drunk. I'll take everything you say with a grain of salt."

This whole conversation wasn't helping Petra's nervousness. Levi still hadn't removed himself from her, and he still smelled, looked and even sounded drunk. She was keeping her cool now, but it was mostly a front for the Captain.

"You are still drunk too." She said.

"Ding-ding. Grand prize goes to the red head over here."

Petra gave him a look. "No need to be mean about it…"

"Maybe I'm just a mean person."

"You act like it, but you aren't."

"Ah, so you can 'see right through me', is that it?"

"Maybe…a little bit anyway…"

Levi got closer to her, so close that she could feel his breath on her face. He stared at her for a moment, causing her heart rate to rise a bit.

"Heichou…?"

"Don't fuck with me, Petra."

"What are you talking about?"

"Fucking touching me while I'm sleeping…what the fuck was that about?"

"I…" Petra blushed, for she didn't have an answer for him. His eyes were piercing into hers at this point, and even though they were a bit frightening, they were still very beautiful to her.

"Maybe I'm not as nice as you think I am."

"What? Heichou…"

"I'm actually a real piece of shit, Petra."

"…What? Mm!"

Levi placed his forehead against hers and closed his eyes for a moment. His left hand cupped Petra's cheek gently and his right hand tangled into her pretty ginger hair.

"I'm a piece of shit." He whispered.

"Levi…" Petra breathed, accidentally letting the passionate tone on her tongue slip out.

Levi opened his eyes, gazing into hers now. "Well. You called me by my name. That's a first."

"I'm…sorry…" Petra was at a loss for words at this point. She was gone, drowning in those lovely eyes of his.

"Maybe I like that...when you call me Levi." He whispered. "Say it again."

"…Levi…" Petra whispered.

Levi closed his eyes momentarily, as if taking it all in. "Well fuck, Petra."

Where was this leading? Was it even leading anywhere? Petra's heart was beating so fast that she felt it would burst any minute. He was so close to her…he was touching her face, her hair…he was so close.

He was so close, yet so far from her…

She wanted him so bad. She wanted to be there for him when he felt alone…when he felt like he was 'a piece of shit'. She wanted to stand by his side forever and give him everything he ever needed. She gently moved her fingers across his skin, over the old scars on his back once more.

Levi only sighed, his eyes still closed. "I told you not to touch me…"

"I know…" she whispered.

"Petra…stop..."

But she didn't stop. She continued to run her fingers delicately down his back, down the center and right down to his lower back. Once she touched his lower back, he jolted and grabbed her hand forcefully again, his eyes shooting open and piercing into hers again.

"I fucking told you no."

"I know."

"Well then why the fuck…"

"Why is your lower back so sensitive to touch?"

Levi only stared at her, and with him being that close, she could actually see it. Though his expression never changed, she could see a small flush of red slowly crossing his cheeks.

"Levi?"

After staring at her for a moment, he dropped his head and nuzzled his face into the crook of Petra's neck, catching her off guard.

"Mm! Levi what are you…"

"Because I fucking said so…" he muttered. "Troublesome girl…fuck…"

"Levi…" Petra breathed as Levi started nibbling away at her neck. This wasn't happening…this wasn't real…

"Why do you insist on crossing me lately?"

"I don't mean to…" Petra closed her eyes as Levi continued to gnaw on her neck, now getting a bit aggressive at this point.

"Maybe you're not as sweet as you act…"

"Mm!" Petra blushed, accidentally letting a moan escape her lips.

Levi moved his head back up, once again touching his forehead to hers. "Don't ever fucking touch me there again…" he whispered, his lips extremely close to hers.

Petra gazed up at him, wanting nothing more than to kiss those luscious looking lips of his. He moved in closer, their lips almost touching at this point. Even though she wanted to kiss him, even though she wanted to have him all to herself so badly, a small voice inside her head was telling her no. She tried to think of the many reasons why it was telling her no. Was it because they were both intoxicated? Because he was her commanding officer? Or was it because of him being sixteen years her senior? Or maybe she was just so unsure of what she wanted…even though she thought she knew. She wanted him so bad but…

She gently put her hand to Levi's cheek and softly shoved his face away from hers.

"No…" she said softly.

Levi only blinked, before looking down at her again.

"I can't…not right now…"

Levi only looked at her; once again, his expression was unchanging as usual.

"Fair enough." He said softly as he removed himself from her. After that, he clumsily fell face first into the pillow next to Petra's head.

"…Heichou?" Petra turned her head to him. "Are you okay?"

Levi rolled onto his side and faced Petra, his eyes looking tired as ever. "I wasn't going to try anything you know…"

"Heichou…"

"I'm fucking tired…good night, Petra…" Levi's eyes closed.

"Huh? Heichou?" she gently shook him, but he didn't budge. He really was passed out asleep. Petra sighed and laid her head back down. She lay on her side as well; facing Levi and watching him sleep. He looked so peaceful when he slept; even his brow seemed more relaxed. She sighed heavily and put a hand to her neck. Did all of that really just happen? Levi had almost kissed her, she was pretty sure of that. She had wanted to kiss him so badly all night…so when he finally made a move, she pushed him away? What was wrong with her?

She looked at him again, and slowly reached out her hand. Once again, she hesitated briefly before reaching out and gently touching his face. She stroked the man's cheek softly for a few minutes as she continued to watch him sleep. Her hand moved to his head, where she ran her hand through his hair and stroked it slowly. She couldn't get him out of her head now.

She moved closer to him, now only inches away from his face once more.

"You're drunk…and you don't know what you're doing, sweetheart…" she whispered softly as she continued to stroke his hair.

She honestly hated to admit that that was the only reason why Levi would ever try to get that close to her…and in a way, it almost made her tear up a bit. That was also the reason why she told him no. She knew now…

She wasn't going to do that to him…

She loved him too much to do that.

She continued to stroke his hair, with her eyes feeling heavy again.

"Am I foolish, Levi? Foolish for feeling this way?" she whispered ever so softly, moving closer to him. "Sitting her thinking about you like this…when I could very well die tomorrow…"She paused for a moment, gazing at his face once more, before gently brushing her lips over his. She stayed there for a few seconds before pulling away.

"Levi…" was the last thing she whispered before her heavy eyelids closed and she began to doze off, escaping into her dreams once again.

Not even a moment afterwards, Levi slowly opened his eyes, with Petra still lying close to him, with her hand tangled in his hair. He only blinked, looking at her for what seemed like forever. His lips tasted different…almost sweet.

"Fuck…" the Captain closed his eyes once more, attempting to block out any sort of emotion he was beginning to feel, as he drifted into the darkness of his distressed mind once again.

The sky was still gray when he awoke. That gray color the sky got just before dawn, right as the night was ending and the day was about to begin. She was the first thing he saw when he woke up. Her ginger hair, a little tussled from the rough night before. She generally slept softly, but did snore a little; only slightly though. She still wore his green sweatshirt. He didn't really want to wake her…she just looked so peaceful and relaxed…and besides, she was about to get up in about an hour anyway, so he let her be.

Very quietly, Levi lifted himself from Petra's bed and stood up, stretching his arms up and to the side. His head was pounding, for this was the first time in quite a while that he's been hung over. He rubbed his eyes with his fingers, recalling most of the night in his head. He had gotten extremely sloshed last night…and on top of that he didn't even have enough in him to move into his own room until now.

He glanced down at Petra, who was still sound asleep. Even though his memory was fuzzy, he still remembered spending the majority of his night with her, for some reason or another. He didn't quite remember how he ended up in her room, but either way, he figured it was best to hurry up and leave, so he didn't freak her out and so people didn't get the wrong idea. On top of that, sleeping in someone else's bed was a bit…unsanitary for him. He blinked, remembering that he had also briefly slept on the basement floor last night.

He flinched; with the bar, the basement, and Petra in general, he felt extremely filthy. He desperately needed to shower. He stood up, glanced at Petra one last time, for what lasted a least a couple of minutes, and then walked out of her room, being as quiet as possible.

Not too long after, Petra was awake and getting ready for the day. Levi had already gotten up and left her room by the time she woke up, which she had expected. The night before was crazy; with the bar, Hanji, Eren…but most of all…Levi.

She couldn't get that man out of her mind, especially after what happened last night. But, regardless of everything that had happened, she decided not to speak of it. The Captain…and everyone else, including herself, had bigger things to worry about right now. Now was simply not the time to try and sort this out…

She looked in the full body mirror hanging on the wall and pulled on her military jacket. Even though she had gotten full on drunk last night, it was one of the best nights she's ever had. Even though she felt horribly sick and tired, she wouldn't want to forget any of it.

_Dear Dad,_

_Things are going well over her in the Scouting Legion. Everyone is doing well, and I think everything might be starting to fall into place…at least I hope so anyway._

_Well…I figure I should tell you this now, daddy, and please don't be upset with me but…I've decided that I want to keep doing this. I want to continue on in my career within the military. I want to continue my duty as a solider in the Scouting Regiment for as long as my life will allow me. I know you hate it that I joined…you are supportive I know, but I can still see that, even after these past few years, you would have preferred another path for me. And I can completely understand that…but…I know what I have to do now. I need to stay, so I can contribute to humankind, to this world we live in…and maybe someday…just maybe…we can live safely outside the walls. I also need to stay for Levi Heichou. I've decided that I…I want to devote my whole life to him and his career. I want to be there for him, dad. When he's alone, I want to be the one that's right there beside him. I want to be there whenever he needs me, whether on the battlefield or behind these walls. I want to continue to stand at Levi's side, no matter what happens._

_I hope you aren't upset with my decision dad, but it's what I want to do._

_I love you, and I can't wait to see you soon._

_Love,_

_Petra_


End file.
